In an attempt to gain a deeper appreciation for the cardiorespiratory component in fitness (and apply the physiological relationships between intensity and heart rate), I took my students to ‘una clase de Spinning.’ Luckily, each of them had already calculated their training heart rate zones and were anxiously wearing their heart rate monitors when we arrived to the Guanajuato Gym (which they pronounce ‘him’ in Spanish because the g is silent… lol.) The class started at 8:30am, give and take a few minutes (this is Mexico, afterall… things flow at a much more relaxed pace here).
Students Leslie, Emily, and Eddie are smiling with enthusiasm (little do they know they are about to embark on the ride of their lives!) Monica, the Spinning instructor, guided us through a strength ride – which they call “fuerza”. Barely five minutes into class, she had us in a standing climb. (Cringe… I’ll leave my thoughts regarding the physiological implications of such an intense start, to myself.)
Here are students Nicole and Nic on a seated climb... look at the intensity in their faces!
“Arriba, Arriba!” Monica would yell repeatedly (btw, the instructors at this club do not use a mic, making them difficult to understand – nevermind the language barrier). Every once in a while we would hear Monica loosen her reigns and yell “Abajo, Abajo!” which was our cue to sit our asses back down into the saddle. Dios Mio!Students Hayley and Rosemary take a break to recover from their last hill.
Needless to say, it was a challenging ride, but we all survived! Good job to everyone who committed to an intense workout!
1 comment:
When are they going to let you teach a class? You'd turn brown to white lol
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